Representative Lisa Subeck's E-Newsletter


 March 1, 2016

 

Contact Me

 

418 North State Capitol

P.O. Box 8953

Madison, WI 53708

 

PH: (608) 266-7521

TF: (888) 534-0078

FAX: (608) 282-3690

 

rep.subeck@legis.wi.gov

Website

 

Things happening in the district & around Madison

 


Storytime for the Very Young

Wednesday, March 2

10:30 am – 11:00am

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd.

 

Enjoy stories, songs and rhymes. No registration required. (For children ages 0 to 24 months)

 


West Madison Senior Coalition Free Lunches

Thursday, March 3

9:30 am – 2:00 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd.

 

Nutritious meals are offered to those 60 and older, the suggested minimum donation is $4.00 but please pay what you can afford. Transportation to the meal is available by donation. Meal and bus reservations or cancellations should be made by noon the preceding day by calling 238-0196

 


Knitting at the Library

Thursday, March 3

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd.

 

Learn to knit or bring your current project. Supplies provided. Children under 8 must have an adult present.

 


Literacy Network SCALE Program

Thursday, March 3

5:45 pm – 8:00 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond. Rd

 

Literacy Network SCALE Program - Improve Reading, Writing and Computer Skills. Call Ezi (608)244-3911 to register. Space is limited.

 


Job Connect with the Worksmart Network

Friday, March 4

12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond. Rd

 

Get help with job search, resumes, & interviewing, and get connected with a full range of workforce and community resources and services. Sessions are one-on-one with a professional Employment Specialist from the Worksmart Network. Advance registration is required and you must call library staff to schedule a time. (608) 288-6160

 


Winter Farmers’ Market

Saturday, March 5

9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Hilldale Shopping Center

702 N. Midvale Blvd

 

Enjoy the bounty of our local farms, cheeses, meats, baked goods, honey, maple syrup as well as value-added local farm products such as sheep and alpaca wool and knitted pieces, honey skin care products, jams & jellies, pickles, pesto and salsa made from our summer vendors' produce.

 


Envisioning a New World: Lussier Radio

Saturday, March 5

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd.

 

Kids and Teens think about social issue in a new world, reflecting upon radio. Record spoken word, rapping, beatboxing and storytelling in this dynamic workshop held in a partnership with UW-Madison and WWMV-LP 95.5FM radio.

 


West Madison Senior Coalition Free Lunches

Tuesday, March 8

9:30 am – 2:00 pm

Meadowridge Library

5726 Raymond Rd.

Nutritious meals are offered to those 60 and older, the suggested minimum donation is $4.00 but please pay what you can afford. Transportation to the meal is available by donation. Meal and bus reservations or cancellations should be made by noon the preceding day by calling 238-0196

 


Tax Assistance

Wednesday, March 9

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Alicia Ashman Library

733 N. High Point Rd.

 

By appointment only. Free assistance from AARP volunteers to help you fill out and file your Wisconsin and Federal personal income taxes. Call 824-1780 to reserve a half-hour appointment.

 


IRS Free File

Through Free File, all taxpayers who made $62,000 or less in 2015 can visit www.IRS.gov/freefile to prepare and e-file their federal tax returns at no cost.

Free File also helps taxpayers with the new health care requirements. Using Free File, most taxpayers will simply have to check a box to report health care coverage for the entire year.

 

Free File is made possible through a public-private partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, a non-profit coalition of leading tax software companies. To learn more about the program, visit www.freefilealliance.org or www.IRS.gov/freefile.

 


Visiting the Capitol

Whether you are planning a visit to the state Capitol as part of a large group, small gathering, or just by yourself, our office can assist you in scheduling a free guided tour of the Capitol building during normal business hours.

 

Free tours are offered daily, year round. Tours depart from the ground floor Information Desk Monday through Saturday at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am and 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 pm; and Sundays at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 pm. A 4:00 pm tour is offered Memorial Day through Labor Day. The sixth floor museum and observation deck are also open during the summer months.

 

 
 

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

 

Things have slowed down in the Assembly this week, as we are wrapping up our work for this legislative session. I am still keeping plenty busy catching up on emails and letters, hosting school groups, and meeting with constituents here at the Capitol.

 

In this week’s newsletter, you will find an update on changes to FamilyCare and IRIS, the latest information about the Verona Road construction project, and a recap of some frustrating moments in the Committee on Children and Families relating to a frightening patterns of alleged abuse at the state’s Lincoln Hills youth correctional facility.

 

If you have any questions or need assistance with any matter, please feel free to contact my office. 

 

Sincerely,

Lisa Subeck

State Representative

78th Assembly District


Republicans Shut Down Discussion of Lincoln Hills Child Abuse Allegations

Last week the Assembly Committee on Children & Families convened to the most recent Summary Reports for Child Deaths, Serious Injuries, or Egregious Abuse or Neglect Incidents, the Annual Child Abuse and Neglect Report for 2014, and the Annual Report of Sexual Abuse of Children in Out-of-Home Care Placement.

 

Before the hearing even began, Chairwoman Jessie Rodriguez (R - Franklin) announced that she was going to prohibit any discussion of abuse allegations at the Lincoln Hills School, a state-run youth correctional facility. Allegations of rampant abuse and possible cover-ups have been the subject of recent headlines. This gag order imposed by the Republican Chairwoman was effective even though committee members had come prepared to discuss a 2014 child abuse and neglect report that did not reflect the numerous allegations of physical and sexual abuse that have since been substantiated by a Lincoln County Circuit Judge and are the subject of a recent F.B.I. investigation.

 

My Democratic colleagues on the committee and I voiced concerns that reports of child abuse at Lincoln Hills have gone uninvestigated by local child welfare officials, but those questions were not allowed during Wednesday’s hearing. The Chairwoman repeatedly shut down our questions despite the fact that not a single 90-Day Summary Report for Child Deaths, Serious Injuries, or Egregious Abuse or Neglect Incidents was generated by Lincoln County in 2014 or 2015, when many of the abuses are alleged to have occurred, including broken bones, excessive force incidents, sexual assault by staff members, and attempted suicides by youth inmates.

 

If child abuse is occurring at Lincoln Hills, but child abuse investigations are not taking place, it should be a huge concern for a legislative committee dedicated to protecting our state’s children and families. Instead, Republicans shut down discussion, leaving us without answers to critical questions that would help us prevent such a situation in the future.

 


Family Care/IRIS Update

As you may remember, the 2015-2017 state budget made a number of changes to the FamilyCare and IRIS programs. These are the programs under which long-term care is provided to individuals with disabilities and elderly individuals receiving assistance from the state. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is moving forward in the next stage of their overhaul of Family Care/IRIS, as required by 2015-2017 state budget. DHS is currently working to finalize a draft of the Family Care/IRIS 2.0 concept plan.

 

The Department will be holding public hearings to solicit comment regarding the concept plan that will be submitted to the Joint Committee on Finance on April 1, 2016. A draft of the concept plan will be published on the Family Care/IRIS 2.0 webpage this week. The hearings will be live streamed so anyone with access to the web may participate. Free parking will be available at both events.

 

Details for the two hearings are below:

 

Eau Claire Public Hearing

March 7, 2016

9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Florian Gardens Conference Center

2340 Lorch Avenue

Eau Claire, WI 54701

 

Madison Public Hearing

March 7, 2016

4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall

1919 Alliant Energy Center Way

Madison, WI 53713

 


Verona Road (US 18/151) Project

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be hosting quarterly open house meetings in 2016 to discuss design and construction activities for the Verona Road (US 18/151) reconstruction project, from the Madison Beltline south to County PD (McKee Road) in Fitchburg as well as the remaining westbound Beltline expansion, between Seminole Highway and Whitney Way.

      

When: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the following dates*:

  • Thursday, March 24, 2016

  • Thursday, June 23, 2016

  • Thursday, September 22, 2016

  • Thursday, December 15, 2016

*No formal presentations are scheduled; stop by at your convenience.

 

Where: City of Fitchburg Fire Station No. 2 (5415 King James Way, Fitchburg)

 

Maps and exhibits of the Verona Road improvements will be on display. Department representatives will be available at these meetings to discuss the project on an individual basis.

 

STAY INFORMED: Verona Road Project website | Project Facebook page

 


You Ask, I Answer

“You Ask, I Answer” is a feature of my weekly newsletter where you can get your questions answered. From time to time, a constituent emails or calls with a question that may also be of interest to others. Therefore, I created this feature, allowing constituents to email me questions for consideration in a future newsletter.

 

Please feel free to email your questions to Rep.Subeck@legis.wisconsin.gov, and we may share the answer in a future e-newsletter.

 

This week’s question was submitted by a constituent who wanted more information about Wisconsin’s newly enforced photo ID requirement in effect for the spring election on April 5.

 

Read on for more details.

 

Question: How do I know if my current photo ID is valid for voting in the upcoming election?  If not, where can I obtain a valid photo ID?

 

Answer: Wisconsin’s Voter ID Law is now in effect.  To vote, you must bring a valid photo ID to the polls. Only specific types of photo ID cards will be accepted.

 

The most common examples of valid photo IDs include current Wisconsin-issued driver’s licenses and Wisconsin-issued photo ID cards. However, there are several other forms of valid IDs, and a full list is available by clicking here. If you do not have a valid photo ID, you may obtain one free of charge at your local DMV office.  You must bring documents to prove your name, date of birth, identity, Wisconsin residency, and citizenship.  Click here for a guide to obtain a valid photo ID to be used for voting for free.

For more information about Wisconsin’s Voter ID law, please visit the Bring It Wisconsin website, and please share this information with your friends, family, and neighbors so they are not caught off guard on Election Day.

 


4th Graders from Glenn Stephens Elementary School Visit the Capitol

Last week, fourth graders from Glenn Stephens Elementary School came to visit the Capitol and learn more about state government. I was able to meet briefly with the students after their tour to take a photograph with them.

 

 

 

 


Blue Books and Maps

My office still has several of the newest edition Blue Books and state maps. If you would like one, you may pick one up my at my Capitol office (418 North) anytime from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. If you are unable to come to the Capitol but would like a Blue Book or map, please email Rep.Subeck@legis.wisconsin.gov or call my office at 608-266-7521 to have one sent to you.

 

 


Fun Wisconsin Fact

The first European to visit Wisconsin was Jean Nicolet, a French explorer. He arrived near Green Bay at the Red Banks in 1634. Nicolet crossed Lake Michigan from his settlement in Quebec looking for a passage to China. When he came to Wisconsin and discovered the Ho-Chunk tribe, he believed they were people of the Pacific Ocean because they identified as “People of the Sea” and had a diet mainly composed of wild rice. Nicolet became the French ambassador to the Ho-Chunk people and created a friendly relationship with the tribe. With their help, Nicolet traveled down the Wisconsin River until it began to widen. He was so sure that he was near the ocean, he returned to Quebec to report that he had discovered a passage to Asia. However, he had only discovered an opening to the upper Mississippi River.

 

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